WWDC gave us many causes to each migrate libraries to SwiftPM and to develop new ones to assist our work. The combination between Xcode improvement and SwiftPM dependencies retains rising stronger and extra essential.
Apple’s Enhancing a Bundle Dependency as a Native Bundle assumes you’ll drag in your package deal to an Xcode undertaking as a neighborhood package deal overrides one which’s imported by a standard package deal dependency.
In Creating a Swift Bundle in Tandem with an App, Apple writes, “To develop a Swift package deal in tandem with an app, you may leverage the conduct whereby a neighborhood package deal overrides a package deal dependency with the identical identify…if you happen to launch a brand new model of your Swift package deal or need to cease utilizing the native package deal, take away it from the undertaking to make use of the package deal dependency once more.”
I don’t use this strategy. It’s not unhealthy or unsuitable, it simply doesn’t match my type.
Alternatively, opening the Bundle.swift file on to develop has drawbacks in that it doesn’t totally supply Xcode’s suite of IDE assist options but.
So I’ve been engaged on a private resolution that greatest works for me. I would like my package deal improvement and its exams to dwell individually from any particular consumer app outdoors a testbed. I would like to make sure that my code will swift construct and swift take a look at correctly however I additionally need to use Xcode’s built-in compilation and unit testing with my completely happy inexperienced checks.
I set out to determine how greatest, at the least for me, to develop Swift packages underneath the xcodeproj umbrella.
I first explored swift package deal generate-xcodeproj. This builds an Xcode library undertaking full with exams and a package deal goal. You need to use the --type flag to set the package deal to executable, system-module, or manifest as an alternative of the default (library) throughout swift package deal init:
Generate% swift package deal init Creating library package deal: Generate Creating Bundle.swift Creating README.md Creating .gitignore Creating Sources/ Creating Sources/Generate/Generate.swift Creating Assessments/ Creating Assessments/LinuxMain.swift Creating Assessments/GenerateTests/ Creating Assessments/GenerateTests/GenerateTests.swift Creating Assessments/GenerateTests/XCTestManifests.swift Generate% swift package deal generate-xcodeproj generated: ./Generate.xcodeproj
Though SwiftPM creates a .gitignore file for you as you see, it doesn’t initialize a git repository. Additionally, I at all times find yourself deleting the .gitignore as I take advantage of a custom-made international ignore file. That is what the ensuing undertaking seems to be like:
As you see, the generated Xcode undertaking has the whole lot however a testbed for you. I actually like having an on-hand testbed, whether or not a easy SwiftUI app or a command line utility to play with concepts. I seemed into utilizing a playground however let’s face it: too gradual, too glitchy, too unreliable.
It’s a ache so as to add a testbed to this set-up, so I got here up with a distinct method to construct my base package deal surroundings. It’s hacky however I a lot favor the result. As a substitute of producing the undertaking, I begin with a testbed undertaking after which create my package deal. This strategy naturally packs a pattern with the package deal however none of that pattern leaks into the package deal itself:
I find yourself with three targets: the pattern app, a library constructed from my Sources, and my exams. The library folder you see right here incorporates solely an Data.plist and a bridging header. It in any other case builds from no matter Sources I’ve added.
I a lot favor this set-up to the generate-xcodeproj strategy, though it takes barely longer to set-up. The rationale for that is that SwiftPM and Xcode use completely different philosophies for a way a undertaking folder is structured. SwiftPM has its Sources and Assessments. Xcode makes use of a supply folder named after the undertaking.
So I take away that folder, add a Sources group to the undertaking, and be certain that my construct phases sees and compiles these recordsdata. The Assessments want related tweaks, plus I’ve so as to add a symbolic hyperlink from Xcode’s exams identify (e.g. “ProjectNameAssessments”) to my SwiftPM Assessments folder on the prime degree of my undertaking to get it to all cling collectively. As soon as I’ve performed so my inexperienced checks are prepared and ready simply as if I had opened the Bundle.swift file immediately. However this time, I’ve all the proper instruments at hand.
Since I’m speaking about set-up, let me add that my duties additionally embrace establishing the README, including a license and creating the preliminary change log. These are SwiftPM setup duties that swift package deal init doesn’t cowl the best way I like. I trash .gitignore however since I’ve Xcode set-up to mechanically initialize model management, I don’t must git init by hand.
I believe this can be a short-term workaround as I anticipate the combination of SwiftPM and Xcode to proceed rising over the subsequent couple of years. Since WWDC, I’ve been notably enthusiastic about creating, deploying, and integrating SwiftPM packages. I assumed I’d share this in case it would assist others. Let me know.
